


Not Home

by satan_copilots_my_tardis



Series: Signal Flares [5]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, Family Feels, M/M, Older!Dipper, Older!Mabel, enjoy it while you can, minor magic, seriously this is all just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 12:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3649872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satan_copilots_my_tardis/pseuds/satan_copilots_my_tardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He cracks open an eye and spots Mabel, with a large glass in hand, leaning against the door her other hand pinching the bridge of her nose. She looks about ready to kill someone and Dipper slowly pushes himself into a sitting position as the lights flicker under the weight of her rage. </p><p>It’s Thanksgiving. Dipper’s restless and Mabel is drinking way too much Mabel juice to power through and not strangle their cousins. Yeah, it’s just gonna be one of those holidays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Home

**Author's Note:**

> Not a whole lot of plot happening here folks. Starts when Dipper and Mabel are 12 but after the first break the twins are 18 through the rest of the piece. Enjoy.

Dipper wakes up the first night they sleep in the Shack attic in a cold sweat. He rolls onto his side to check that Mabel is still there and some of the tension drains out of his shoulders. She wasn’t taken, that at least was just a figment of his nightmares, but looking at her all he can think is that she could have been. If he had been just five minutes later what would have happened to her? What would the Gnomes have done by then? His eyes travel to the journal on the bedside table and then to the hat he’d gotten in the gift shop. For a moment he wants to blame the day’s misfortunes on the book but he knows logically the same events would have probably occurred only he would not have known to be suspicious of ‘Norman’ and Mabel would probably have been…. He scowls at the hat instead. It wasn’t the journal’s fault, it was this town. How could one tiny town be filled with so much crazy stuff? Even if it is fascinating he can't shake the hard knot in his stomach that tells him nothing is going to be the same after Gravity Falls. As his eyes grow heavy again he’s half convinced himself that he hates this town.

* * *

 They would have been better off staying at home.

In the blink of an eye it’s six years later and Dipper is waking up to someone slamming the bedroom door. He cracks open an eye and spots Mabel, with a large glass in hand, leaning against the door her other hand pinching the bridge of her nose. She looks about ready to kill someone and Dipper slowly pushes himself into a sitting position as the lights flicker under the weight of her rage.

“You okay?” She huffs before moving to plop down at the foot of his bed. She swirls around the liquid in the glass and Dipper gets a closer look at the contents. Edible glitter, plastic dinosaur ice cubes, and what he suspects is half a jar of maraschino cherries. Mabel Juice.

“Our cousins are here.” She grumbles before taking a vicious swig of the thick liquid. “And they’re bragging about how they went to Peru this summer. They brought a photo album.” Dipper cringes. His mom’s side of the family has always been a little too talkative and with an overseas vacation and stack of pictures he has no doubt that they have enough ammo to successfully dominate any and all conversation during Thanksgiving dinner.

“Well we could always pull out our photo album.” He suggests sarcastically, glancing to the locked desk drawer that he keeps the journals in. “They wouldn’t have much to talk about after that.” Mabel hands him her half empty glass before flopping down across his legs.

“They’re asking about my hair.” Dipper takes a sip of the juice and shudders. The taste of the cherries is overpowered with strawberry and guava juice, notes of lime and kiwi lingering on his tongue after he swallows.

“Tell them to fuck off.” He says bluntly with a small smile. Mabel giggles just like he knew she would. He doesn’t swear often and for some reason his sister seems to find it endlessly amusing when he does. “But seriously, you can fight off a hoard of zombies, I’m sure you can handle two teenagers.”

“At least zombies I can just sing to death. I can’t implode Caelum and Jessie’s heads.”

“Well you could.” Mabel smiles up at him. “Let that be comfort enough. You could totally blow up their swollen heads and never have to hear them open their mouths again.”

“I totally could.” She sits up with renewed energy and her grin is sharp at the edges.

“Thanks Dipper, you know just the right pep talk for any situation.”

“Go get em tiger.” The woman does so without further instruction and Dipper sighs as he sinks back into his pillows. He’ll have to get up in a minute but not this minute. He closes his eyes again.

* * *

 “Out!”

“Come on Mabel,”

“Out, out, out!” Dipper is shoved by his sister and he feels the energy vibrating against her palms. “You are stifling my creativity!”

“Mash potatoes shouldn’t be a form of creative expression Mabel. Plus the glitter doesn’t even taste good.”

“Heresy!” His sister gasps. Dipper grabs one of her hands and is unsurprised, though still flinches, when he gets shocked by the magic that’s building up on her skin.

“Mabel. We need to talk.” He pulls her out of the kitchen and into their father’s empty office. Most of the family is gathered in the living room, to watch the game, and the kitchen so it’s the closest and safest place for them to talk. “What is up with you? You’ve been using since this morning.” Mabel tugs her hand out of his grasp and rubs them together.

“I’m not casting,” He raises a brow. “No really, I’m not casting, at all. That’s the point. I’m trying to build stamina by keeping myself open as a conduit for as long as I can without casting.”

"Does that work?”

“Bill said I could give it a try and I’ve been getting better. In May I could only hold it open for half an hour, now I can hold it for six hours.” He can’t help but be impressed with his sister’s stamina.

“Wow, what do you do to ground yourself?”

“Usually I hang out with Pacifica, but while we’re home I just go to the forest reserve and shoot off a few rounds of fireballs.”

“And no one’s noticed?”

“I throw up a barrier.” There’s a snort pause. “Dipper, you don’t care, do you? I mean you’re not like upset, right?”

“What? Of course I’m not upset. I’m glad that you’re learning, and that you’re good at all of this.” He puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes gently. “Just because I suck at it doesn’t mean you need to worry about me getting jealous.”

“Good. Do you want to come out with me later when I need to cool down?”

“Sure.”

“Great! But you’re still not allowed back in the kitchen.”

“Aw come on Mabel, I don’t want to watch the game.”

“Nope, you had your chance and you shunned my beautiful creation, now you must suffer.”

“Mabel.” He whines but she just points at him and says dramatically,

“Now you must suffer!” Before flouncing back down the hall. Dipper lingers on in the room for a few moments, trying to figure out where he should go. He has no interest in being harassed by his cousins, uncles, or aunts in the living room now that the kitchen is off-limits. He wonders if anyone would notice if he slipped upstairs to get some work done and heads towards the stairs.

The student makes it all the way up to his and Mabel’s bedroom without anyone calling for him so he shuts and locks the door quickly before moving over to his desk. The key to the drawer is taped to the inner lining of the ratty cap that he’d worn as a kid which still sits on his desk. He removes it and unlocks the drawer, reaching in and pulling out the third journal, before closing the drawer again and sitting down. Over the past several years the original journal has grown in size as he makes corrections and additions to the Author’s work. Most notably the entries about the forest Gnomes, Fae, and Bill have been edited and reworked. Dipper having included how aggressive the Gnomes can be and including an entire page about how new fairies are born each season. He’s added more information about Bill’s powers and about the failed tattoo that he’d hoped to use to summon the demon, but otherwise left the author’s work intact. The bright red letters and blood stains on the page warning against the dream demon always make his gut twist but he can’t bring himself to disregard the words. Dipper spends almost an hour combing through the text in silence for any new clues when he hears the doorbell ring.

“Dipper will you get that?” His mother’s voice reaches him first.

“Yeah Dipper get the door!” Mabel adds unhelpfully. He sighs, shoves the book back into his desk, locks it, and replaces the key. He’s only halfway down the stairs before the bell rings again.“Dipper!”

“I’m getting it, calm down, Mabel!” He shouts back before twisting the knob and swinging the door open. A strangled sound rises in the back of his throat and his voice is a little hoarse when he speaks again. “Mabel.” He knows she hasn’t heard him so he tries again a little louder. “Mabel!”

“Whhhaaaat?” She whines as she pokes her head around the corner.

“It’s for us.”

“What?” Mabel walks around the bend and is finally able to get a good look at their visitors. “Guys oh my god!” She grins and walks over. “I can’t believe you’re here, come on in!”

“Your parents called and invited us to come and visit.” Stan says as he enters, gathering a great niece in one arm and a great nephew in the other and giving them both a squeeze. “And I couldn’t think of an excuse not to come, so here we are.”

“Gunkle Stan,” Mabel elbows him while Dipper greets Soos.

“Wendy was still camping with her pops but she sent her best.” The man-child says as he fist bumps with the youngest Pines.

“Ahem.” Mabel’s head turns towards the door so quickly that Dipper’s surprised that her neck doesn’t snap. “My parents went to the Bahamas this season, so I really didn’t have anything else to do.” Pacifica inspects her flawless manicure for a moment before she’s got her arms full of Mabel.

“Oh my god you’re here this is so great! I missed you so much.” Mabel showers her girlfriend’s face in kisses and Dipper’s stomach twists at the look of pure joy on his sister’s face. Whatever problems that he’s had with the blonde in the past are irrelevant as long as she can put that smile on Mabel’s face.

“I missed you too, but seriously Mabel, you’re suffocating me.” She pats the other girl awkwardly on the back as she’s smothered.

“Oh this is so exciting, I can finally introduce you to my parents! They’ll be so relieved.” Mabel starts to drag Pacifica down the hallway.

“Nice to see you Pacifica.” Dipper greets sincerely.

“You too Dipper.” She says over her shoulder. “Why would your parent’s be relieved? I thought you hadn’t come out yet?”

“Well lets just say there are some icky rumors about me and Dip going around town.” He listens to their voices fade down the hallway.

“Icky?”

“You guys want to see if any of the family faints when Mabel comes out?” Dipper asks the two men lingering by the door.

“Oh my god ew!” He hears Pacifica say.

“I bet five bucks your Dad has to sit down for fifteen minutes.” Stan says as they follow after the girls.

“I will take your money now.” They walk into the kitchen just after the two girls and silently watch as Mabel pulls both their parents into the steaming room. The oven is working full blast and the smell of food is wafting around the space making Dipper’s stomach growl. Mabel doesn’t seem the slightest bit nervous as she stands in front of their parents grinning. He supposes it’s a small mercy that she hasn’t finished her rainbow colored sweater with the phrase ‘I’m Pan!’ and a small smiling frying pan across the front or he has no doubt she would have put it on to break the news.

“Mom, Dad, you know how I’ve been talking about a S.O. in Gravity Falls for the past couple of years?”

“Yes.” Their parents glance over at Soos and neither one can hide their look of dread very well.

“Well this is Pacifica Northwest.” She grins and pulls said girl forward.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. and Mr. Pines.” Dipper watches their parents reactions closely and as soon as the shock wears off they both look horribly relieved.

“The pleasure is all ours, Pacifica was it?” Their father shakes her hand and winces slightly. Dipper feels a little bad for him, knowing how tight Pacifica’s golf grip is. “Mabel’s told us a lot about her elusive partner, you make our daughter very happy.”

“Pay up, old man.” Dipper mutters to Stan under his breath causing Stan to grumble and pull out a five from his wallet. He smacks it into Dipper’s palm. “Thank you.” The mystery hunter says smugly.

“What about you Dipper?” He is suddenly addressed by his parents. “Do we get to meet your partner too?”

“I don’t think so Mom, Bill’s usually pretty busy.” His parents don’t even flinch when he gently admits that his partner is male.

“Speaking of your demonic boyfriend he sent something for you. Soos do you have the bag?”

“Right here Mr. Pines.” Soos holds up a Mystery Shack gift bag.

“He couldn’t make it but he wanted us to give you this.” Dipper takes the bag gratefully.

“Ooh presents! Open it Dipper!”

“Uh I’d rather do that in private. Bill has a weird sense of humor. Whatever this is could be really inappropriate.” And at that he thinks back to animal organs in the Shack’s fridge and the deer teeth necklace that’s sitting in the desk drawer with the journals.

“True. Go upstairs and open it! I’m dying of curiosity!” Mabel all but shoves him out of the kitchen.

“Don’t take too long Dipper, dinner’s almost ready.” His mother calls after him. Dipper takes the bag into his and Mabel's bedroom and locks the door. He has to admit he’s fairly excited about whatever the demons gotten him, even if it is another organ which he thinks says some unsavory things about his mental state. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a thin white cardboard box. There’s a sticky note on the top that says ‘Open me Pine Tree!’ in Bill’s handwriting and he follows the instructions. Inside the box he’s surprised to find a soft black sweater and a gold button down. He lifts the first article of clothing out of the box and notices that Bill had wrapped it face down so he turns it over and yelps.

“Surprise!” Bill has attached himself to the front of the sweater, which is now lying in a heap of fabric on the floor, as Dipper had dropped it when the demon startled him.

“Bill, what are you doing?”

“Well I knew that you had some weird human holiday and Stanford said that humans like to spend time with the people they care about on holidays. I figured since I couldn’t be here as myself that this was a pretty clever compromise, don’t you think Dippin Dot?” Dipper picks up the sweater.

“This is really sweet Bill but you don’t have to stay. You’d have to remain completely still and silent the entire time, won’t that get boring for you?”

“Boy kid sometimes I don’t understand how you get anything done with how stupid you are. You’re never boring to me, Pine Tree.” Dipper tries to smother the sappy smile trying to stretch across his face.

“Okay. I’m glad you came.” He changes into the sweater quickly and Bill has gone completely still and silent. Dipper walks down the stairs and joins everyone in the dining room with a grin on his face and a bounce in his step. He’d put on the button down under the sweater and the golden yellow of the collar and cuffs sticks out against the black and compliments Bill’s image.

“ Is that..?” Mabel looks at his new outfit critically.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so cute!” She hugs him, and by extension Bill, whispering to the demon. “Thanks for coming.” Bill, true to his word, remains entirely silent.

“Dinner ready?”

“Yup, come on, wait till you see the potatoes!” Dipper’s past the point of caring about glittery potatoes as he lets Mabel drag him over to his seat. She deposits him into the chair between her own and Stan’s. Pacifica sits on Mabel’s other side and seems to be verbally maiming Caelum and Jessie with pointed questions about their cultural experience in Peru, making it increasingly obvious the kids had spent the majority of their time at the resort pool and taking advantage of the lowered legal drinking age.

They don’t say Grace once everyone is seated, they’ve never been that kind of family, but they do each raise their glass and toast to something they’re thankful for. Predictably Stan is thankful for gullible tourists and Mabel nearly says an ode to rhinestones. It’s warm and there’s more laughter around their table than there has been in a long time. Dipper can’t glance down at his shirt without looking like a moron but he feels Bill’s presence like a blessing in its own right.

“Oooh are you staying the night?” Mabel asks Pacifica.

“I was planning on it. I thought we could go,”

“Black Friday shopping together!” The two girls finish in sync. Dipper cringes and desperately want to hide before they can smell his fear. It’s too late.

“Oh Dipper you’ve got to come too! You too Stan! Soos! You’ve never seen me Black Friday shop.”

“You don’t want to.” Dipper warns the others under his breath.

“We’ll all go together. It’ll be our first outing when we’re not in Gravity Falls!” Mabel insists.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Stan finally agrees just to get the puppy eyes off him. “Jeez has she been hitting the juice again?”

“Yeah, and she added guava to it.” 

“Sick.” Stan shudders. Dipper isn’t surprised when they become something of a spectacle to the rest of their family but he is surprised with how easy it is to keep up a conversation with his friends and Grunkle Stan. They’ve never been in a situation where they’ve been unable to talk about the supernatural in any capacity, but it doesn’t cripple them like Dipper thought it would. He and Pacifica still find little things to snap at each other about, Stan still talks about the insane fake attractions that he’s getting for the Shack, and Soos is just Soos. Dipper realizes even though there’s nothing explicitly about Gravity Falls in their conversation it doesn’t really feel like there’s anything missing. Even without Bill’s snappy comebacks and his customary bickering with Stan everything falls into a natural rhythm.

“Dipper do you want some mashed potatoes?” The potatoes in question are purple with pink glitter but Dipper just sighs.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Without a monster chasing them the dinner goes on like any normal family meal but he can’t help but be thankful that monsters had brought them all together or else, he suspects, they wouldn’t be anywhere near as close and he's not quite sure who he would be without them. 

**Author's Note:**

> The days of the twins in Cali are close to an end and focus will be shifted back to Gravity Falls in the next piece, hope you enjoyed.


End file.
